Ovens intended for home use can reach temperatures approaching 550.degree. F. during broiling operations and 450.degree. F. during baking operations. When food articles are baked, they are normally placed on a cooking utensil such as a cookie sheet or a pan-type structure that includes sidewalls. One problem constantly encountered by the consumer is the tendency to remove the cooking utensil from a hot oven before placing the hot utensil directly on a counter-top or other surface. Most counter-tops cannot withstand hot metal items approaching 450.degree. F. Hence, if a hot utensil is removed from a hot oven and placed directly on the counter-top, the counter-top will be burned and cannot normally be repaired. Further, other surfaces such as table-tops or cabinets can also be damaged by hot baking utensils.
Not only will a consumer often forget to place a hot-pad or cutting board underneath a utensil just removed from an oven, a consumer will also be forced to place a hot utensil on the counter-top or other surface if a hot-pad or cutting board is not readily available. Often, cutting boards are used for other purposes and hot-pads may have been misplaced, soiled, or otherwise unavailable. Then, the consumer may be forced to place a hot pan on the counter-top which will cause damage to the counter-top or in the kitchen sink which may be dirty or contain other items that might be damaged if contacted by the hot utensil. Consumers often place hot items on a stove top when no other safe cooling place is available. However, stove tops are uneven and therefore are unsatisfactory for this purpose.
Therefore, there is a great need for cooking utensils, cooking pans and cookie sheets that can be removed from a hot oven at temperatures reaching 450.degree. F. and placed directly on counter-tops or other surfaces without the need for a cutting board, a hot-pad or similar device placed between the counter-top or surface and the hot cooking utensil. Such an improvement to cooking utensils would save consumers from costly repairs to counter-tops and the anguish associated with causing an unsightly and irreparable burn to the counter-top. A cooking utensil that does not require a hot pad will also allow a cook to maximize the use of available space in a kitchen because any flat surface would be usable for cooking just-baked items.